Beverage maker



June 29, 1954 w, ANDRES ET AL 2,682,601

BEVERAGE MAKER Filed April 5, 1948 INVENTORS WILLIAM A. ANDRES CLEMENT WOOD CLEMONS CLEMENT E TRETTEL BY p' ma ATTORNEY Patented June 29, 1954 2,682,601 BEVERAGE MAKER William A. Andres, Clement Wood Clemons, and

Clement E. Trettel, Minneapolis, Minn., assignors to General Mills, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Application April 5, 1948, Serial No. 18,874

9 Claims.

' l The present invention relates to beverage makers and more particularly to beverage makers of the type in which liquid from an upper reservoir passes downwardly through a suitable heat- I ing unit, after which it drops by gravity through a mass of infusion material such as coffee, and then into a bottom receptacle such as a pot or cup.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved beverage maker of this general type.

Another object is the provision of an improved heating unit for such a beverage maker.

A further object is the provision of a heating unit for such a beverage maker, in which the heating unit has an improved handle and cord assembly.

Another object is to provide a heating unit which may be used with receptacles of different sizes.

Still another object is the provision of an improved handle assembly which shall include latching means for an upper liquid reservoir.

Another object is the provision of an improved method of attachment of an infusion basket to the heating unit.

A further object is to provide an improved metering orifice for the bottom of the upper liquid reservoir. A

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following specification.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts,

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a coffeemaker embodying features of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the bottom of the liquid reservoir.

Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view of the interior of the heater housing showing details of the cord connection, and

Fig. 4 is a partial bottom view of the heater housing.

As shown in Fig. 1, the coffeemaker, according to the present invention involves a bottom receptacle I I (which may be either a regular coffee pot or cup or similar receptacle), an intermediate heater housing I2, and an upper bowl or liquid reservoir I3. A basket for the infusion material is attached below the heater housing in a manner to be described. Thus, the liquid from the upper reservoir will flow downwardly under the action of gravity through the heater where it will be brought to the required temperature. The heated liquid will then pass through the infusion basket and down into the lower receptacle.

any desired construction. The lower receptacle shown in the drawings is made of metal although it will be apparent that a ceramic or glass pot could also be employed. The upper edge of the pot I I is rolled over to provide a bead or seat 40 on which the heater housing is adapted to be supported.

The heater housing, designated generally as I2, includes a substantially cylindrical vertical side wall portion I5 and a horizontal bottom portion I6. Thus, the heater housing is substantially cup shaped. The flat bottom portion I6 is adapted to rest on the rim of pot I I and be supported by the seat 48. The rim of the infusion basket 20 which is fastened to the bottom of this heating unit may serve as a centering means to prevent excessive lateral movement of the unit on top of the pot I I.

To permit use of the unit with pots which have a larger top opening than that of pot II, an additional downwardly facing seat has been provided on housing wall I5. In the form shown, the lower portion of wall I5 is recessed or reduced in diameter to provide an annular step or shoulder Eli. This step will engage the rim of a pot of corresponding size, while the lower recessed housing portion adjacent and below the step serves to center the unit in the pot opening. Thus the housing construction provides two effective steps or seats for selective engagement with receptacles which have top openings of different sizes.

. The central portion of bottom I6 projects downwardly, as shown at II, this downward projection I! being curved smoothly inward as shown at I8. Spaced projections I9, best shown in Figs. 1 and 4, are provided on the downward projecting portion I! for the purpose of supporting the coffee basket thereon. This coffee basket 20 may be of any desired shape. In the form shown, it has an upper enlarged cylindrical section M which Receptacle I I may be provided with a suitable terminates in an upper bead 22. The inside radius of this upper portion 2| is slightly greater than the outside radius of the depending central portion I! of the heater housing. However, the projections! on the portion I! extend outwardly to give an effective radius for these projections slightly greater than the. inside radius of the coffee basket portion 2|. Thus, as the coffee basket is placed against the bottom of the heaterhousing the upper portion of this basket will be deformed slightly as shown in Fig. 4 so that there is slightly more space as at 24 between the inside of the basket and the outside of the portion II immediately adjacent projections I9 than the space 25 between these parts at points intermediate the projections [9. In other words, the top of the coffee basket is resiliently deformed to somewhat non-circular configuration and this resilient deformation causes the basket to grip projections i9 firmly and thus maintains the coffee basket and contents in place through the increased friction and clamping action between the parts.

The construction of the coffee basket 26, as indicated above, may be of any orthodox type and as is customary, this basket is provided with. bot-v tom perforations 26 and with one or more rows of top perforations 2'! and 28-toqtake care of possible overflow of the infusing IlQHl'd ZfTOm -thB basket.

With reference to the heater housing again, the depending central portion I? has a smallannular shoulder 29 shown in Fig. 1. The portion of the bottom inside this annular shoulder 29 is recessed upwardly as shown at 30 to provide a flat central area 3| positioned'somewhatabove the extreme bottom point '29 of 1 depending 7 portion 5 I1. Spaced eripheral shoulders 32 and a central shoulder 33 are located in said central recess 3! to serve as positioning means:for a removable plate 34. This plate is heldagainst theshoulder portion by a removable nut 35 which engages a threaded member 36 projecting. downwardly fromthe center of theheater housing.v Thusit will be apparentthat plate 34.is:readily detachable from the bottom of the heater-housing merely by-removal of nut 35. .This removability is of interest and. importance in facilitating: the-cleaning and removal .of scale 'andaother. deposits from. the

heater housing.

The. central portion vof. the heater .housing. in-.

cludes an upwardly extending cylindrical. wall or cup 31 which forms a central recess into which.

liquid from the upper. reservoir may vflow. Perforations orpassages .38 permit the liquid .to flow fromthe inside of this central recessed portion 31 down to the. space.39 between the plate.34 and the bottom central portion 3| of the heater housing .12. Theseperforations 38 are located near the center of the heater housing and plate 34so that the liquid Whichreaches space 39 then flows outwardly. through the space 39"to theouter rim 4| of plate .34. This .outer. rim M .is spaced slightly as shown at 142 from the upwardly curved edge 30 of the central bottom recess in the heater housing.

As clearly shown in the drawing, a heating e1ement 43 is mounted in close heat-conducting relation to the depending central portion I! of the heater housing In the embodiment shown in the drawing this electrical heating element 43 is cast into the housing l2 'during manufacture of the latter. From the drawing it will be apparent that the cast-in heating element 43 is in the center of the depending annular portion I! and thus heats this annular portion uinformly. The heat from the elementis also conducted throughout the central-bottom portion 31 of the housing. Also, by reason of the contact of the plate 34 through peripheral and central shoulders 32 and 33,'a portion of the heat from the element is conducted to plate 34. Thus. as the liquid flows through the spaces '39 and .42 ,i it is heated to the desired temperature for the infusion operation.

The heated liquid then drops from the rim of plate 34 into the infusionmaterialwhich is containedin the coffee basket 26, and the. infused product finally passes downwardly through perfo-v rations 26 into the bottom.- receptacle l I.

The heating-element is provided with ter-"* minals 44 and 45. One of these terminals 44 is connected directly to one of the conductors 46 of a suitable connecting cord 41. The other terminal 45 is preferably connected by a wire 48 to one terminal of a suitable thermostatic switch 49. This thermostatic switch is mounted on the central recessed bottom portion 3| in close theatconducting relation with said portion. The other terminal of this thermostatic switch 49 is connected to the other conductor 5| of the connecting cord 41. The thermostatic switch 49 is designedto remain closed during normal operation of theiunit as long as liquid is flowing from theupper reservoir through the spaces 39 and 421 .ASTthlSlllQllidfiiS. raised in temperature, it

uses up most of theheat supplied by the element 43tand .thusthe thermostat switch remains in closed position. As soon as the reservoir runs drypthe absence of liquid permits the heat from element 43 to raise the temperature of central bottom portion 3-] tea suflicientdegreeto open the. thermostatic sw-itchs49 and break the circuit to the heating-element.- Suchsafety thermostats are .well knownandtheir construction neednotbe described indetail...

An improved arrangement .for connection of the cord." to theheater housing hasbeen pro-. vided. In .thisarrangement, v theside .wall .I 5 of the housing. I2 is provided .with anopening 52.. .A handle 53 'of plastic .or other suitable material is provided with a projection 54 adapted. to fit.

within the opening-52; The portion of the handle adjacent .this reduced circular. projection 54 serves as ashoulder. 55 to assist in positioning the handle against'the side wall of the housing.

A. longitudinal passageway 56 extends throughoutthe length'of the'handle 5'3 and projection.

portion58 of the clamp 51, through theside wall l5,"and into thebody portion of handle 53. Thus, this single threaded member serves to hold'the cord clampin place pm the inside'of the side wall and also serves to clamp the handle against the outside-of "the walll One-or more additional screws 6| may be provided to strengthen the hanclle mounting, if desired.

The 'heatenhousing I2" is also provided with positioning means for supporting the upper reservoir or bowl I35 As *shbwn' in Figs. 1 and 3, the upper portion of "the side wall i5 'is "provided with an internal ledge or projection 62. This ledge is somewhat higher "than-the top of the 'centralhubor cup 31." i Aslig'htly dish-shaped or conical plate member 63 is supported on the The inner top'of :the shoulder" 62 and cup 3l. portion 'of: i plate. 63 may be flanged downwardly at 64 "inside the wall or the central hub 37. The

suitable'-screws'=( not=shown)and; if desired; a liquid=tight"igasket "may be utilized to seal the joints between :thenedge's of plate 63' and the" siderwall 15"01' "hub'3l of thehousinga inside diameter of the side wall l5 above plate 63. Thus, the annular shoulder 61 serves as a positioning means to locate the reservoir l3 laterally within the housing l2. An annular groove 68 in the wall or bowl l3-just above the annular projection 6'! provides space for suitable retaining members adapted to hold the bowl in posi tion on top of housing I2.

One of these retaining members may be in the form of a fixed projection or rivet 69 at a point substantially opposite the location of handle 53. The other part of the retaining mechanism is shown in the form of a ball H, which projects partially through an opening 12 in the side wall of the heater housing just above the axis of handle 53. A recess 13 in the enlarged upper portion 14 of handle 53 serves as a housing for the ball H and for a suitable spring 15 which urges the ball inwardly against the side wall [5. Thus the opening in the side wall and therecess 13 in the handle portion M cooperate to serve as a positioning and retain ing housing for the latching member or ball H. When the upper bowl I3 is placed on the heater housing a portion of annular projection Bl is first engaged beneath fixed projection 69 with bowl l3 at a slight angle. The bowl is then lowered to a horizontal position and in the course of this movement the portion of annular projection 61 adjacent the handle forces the ball H back into its housing against the action of spring 15 and then permits the ball to snap into place above the projection in the annular recess 68 to latch the upper bowl in place and prevent accidental displacement of the bowl.

The central bottom portion of bowl l3 extends downwardly as shown at 16 to project into the central hub or cup 31 of the heater housing.

As shown in Fig. 2 the downward projection or liquid orifice has been at the lowest point of the reservoir, the walls of the opening themselves may be deformed and thus the effective size of the opening may be changed. In the present case, however, any contact of the bowl against a table or similar surface will be borne by the lowest portion 18 of the well 1'6 and although this portion may be slightly deformed, the edges of the opening 19 will be protected.

The size of opening 19 is selected so as to obtain the desired rate of flow of the liquid contents from the upper reservoir to the heater unit. This time of flow will be coordinated with the amount of heat produced by the heating element 43 so that the liquid which flows downwardly, under the influence of gravity, through the spaces 39 and 42 will just have time to reach the desired temperature before it drops into the coffee basket. Since the size of the opening must be kept within narrow predetermined limits in any given assembly, it is important to protect the opening against accidental deformation as described above.

As shown in Fig. 1, an additional feature of the invention will be described. This feature involves the provision of a projection or rim 23 extending inwardly from the neck of the pot II. This inwardly projecting portion 23 has an internal diameter which is somewhat less than the greatest diameter of the bead 22 on coffee basket 20. Thus a positive safety means is provided which prevents the coffee basket 29 from dropping into the liquid in the bottom receptacle H in case the device is subjected to unexpected jars which might be suilicient to over- 'come the frictional and resilient clamping forces normally holding the coffee basket against the depending central portion H of housing l2.

The operation of this device will be readily apparent from the foregoing description. The desired amount of coffee or other infusion material is placed in the basket 29 after which this basket is frictionally engaged against the bottom of heater housing I2. The desired amount of liquid is placed in the upper bowl I3 and this bowl is positioned on top of the heater hous ing [2. Housing I2 in turn is placed on top of bottom receptacle H. Cord 41 is connected to a suitable source of current and will thus energize the heating element 43 to heat the liquid, in the manner described, as it passes from the upper bowl to the infusion basket. The heated liquid will pass through the infusion material and the desired product will flow into the bottom re ceptacle. After all the liquid has passed out of the heater housing, the temperature of the housing will increase and the thermostatic switch 49 will be opened to stop the operation of heating element 43. The user may then lift the heater housing, upper bowl and coffee basket as a unit by means of handle 53 and may remove these elements from the bottom receptacle H. The bottom receptacle then serves as a dispensing means for the beverage which has been prepared.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that an improved coifeemaker of the type described has been provided, which accomplishes the objects set forth in the early portions of this specification. Since minor variations and changes in the exact details of construction will be apparent to persons skilled in this field, it is intended that this invention shall cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the spirit and scope of the attached claims.

Now, therefore, we claim:

1. A beverage making unit comprising a heater housing having a side wall, a liquid reservoir removably positioned above the housing and having a locking shoulder inside the the wall, an opening in said wall above said shoulder, a handle fastened to said heater housing and having a recessed portion positioned outside said wall opening, and adjacent thereto, and a latching member mounted in said recessed portion of the handle and projecting through said opening for engagement above said shoulder.

2. A beverage making unit for insertion in a receptacle having a top opening, said unit comprising a heater housing and a liquid reservoir removably positioned above said housing, a handle attached to said housing, said housing having a wall with an opening therethrough, said handle having a recess aligned with said wall opening, a ball of larger diameter than said opening positioned in said recess, and spring means in said recess normally urging said ball against said opening with a portion of the ball projecting through the opening as a resilient latch for said reservoir.

3. A beverage making unit for insertion in a receptacle having a top opening, said unit comprisinga heater housing and a liquid reservoir removably positioned above said housing, said housing having an electrical heating element and a handle, :a connection cord for said element passing through said-handlepand means mounted in said handle for retaining said reservoir in position on said housing.

4. A beverage makinguunit for insertion in a receptacle having a .top opening, said unit comprising awheater'housing and a liquidzreservoir positioned above-said housing, said housing having, an outer .wall with anropemng, a handle outsidevsaid wallcha-ving: a passageway aligned with said opening5anelectric heating element in said housing;an electricw cord :passing through said handle passageway and opening, a strain relieving clamp engaging. said cord inside said wall, and aretaining member engaging said clamp, said walland saidhandle'to maintain said parts in assembledrelation.

5. A beverage'makingrunit for selective insertion in receptacles having top openings of diiferent 'sizeysaid unit comprising a cup shaped housing having a cylindrical side wall and a fiat bottom portion adjacent thereto, the lower portion of the side wall having .an annular recess in its outersurface providing a downwardly facing externalseat above said bottom portion for engagement with: the top of one of said receptacles,-and the fiat'bottom portion ofthe housing providing an -alternate seat for engagement with adifferent receptacle having a smaller top opening.

6. A beverage makingunit comprising a heater housing having a'wall with anopening therein, a liquid reservoir removably positioned i, above said housing and having a locking portion opposite the opening, a-handle attached to said housing and having a longitudinal recess axially aligned with said opening,'a retaining-memberlongitudh nally movable Within the recess and having a latch portion projecting through the opening, and resilient means within the recess. engaging the retaining 'memberrand urging ittoward the opening for engagement of 'said latch portion with said locking" portion.

7. 'Abeverage makingunit comprising a heater housing having a wall with anopening therein, a liquid reservoir removabl positioned above said housing and havingaai locking portion opposite the opening ahandleattached to said housing and having a longitudinalrecess-axially aligned with said opening, thewidthsof the recess being greater than that of the opening in atleast one direction, .a vretainingimember longitudinally movable within the recess and having a latch portion:protecting.through the opening, and resilient means within the recessengaging the retaining member: and urging it toward the opening .forpengagement-of said latch portion withsaidlocking portion, the width of the retainingmember. also being: greater than that :of the opening in said one direction and thereby limiting the resilientxmovement of the retaining member by engagement of the latteragainst the housing.

8. An appliance comprising a housing havinga wall with an opening therein, a memberremovably-mounted-on thehousing and having a lockingportion inside the housing opposite the opening, a handle attached to thehousing and having a portion outside-said wall provided with an inwardly. facing. recess alignedwith the wall opening and adjacent thereto, 2 and a latching member movably mounted within said handle recess and projectingv through said opening for engagement with said locking portion.

9. A beverage making unit for selective insertion in receptacles having top openings of different'size, said unit comprising a cup shaped housing having a cylindrical sidewall and a flat bottom portion adjacent thereto, the lower portion of the side wall having an inwardly stepped portion in its outersu-rface only, thereby providing a side wall portionwof reduced thickness and a downwardly facing external seat above said bottom portion for engagement with the top of one of said receptacles, and the flat bottom portion of the housing-providingan alternate seat for engagement with a different receptacle having a smaller top opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 1 Name Date 174,983 I Spencer -Mar. 21, 1876 656,223 Sickel Aug. 21, 1900 1,006,104 Kuhn et a1 Oct. 17, 1911 1,056,049 Nelson Mar, 18, 1913 1,570,807 Watson Jan. 26, 1926 1,582,165 Cantor Apr. 27, 1926 1,597,241 Marsden Aug. 24, 1926 1,761,633 Krause June 3, 1930 1,810,958 Fullman June 23,- 1931 1,875,906 Zarobsky Sept. 6, 1932 2,089,665 Roberts et a1 Aug. 10, 1937 2,116,044 Rucker May 3, 1938 2,152,122 Wilcox Mar. 28, 1939 2,192,095 Myers Feb. 27, 1940 2,272,471 Miller Feb. 10, 1942 2,290,660 Wilcox Jul 21, 1942, 2,315,455 Sale Mar. 30, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 307,233 Italy Apr. 24, 1933 1 374,526 Great Britain June 16,1932 592,084 Germany Feb. 1, 1934 

